I think I've probably mentioned my slow cooker bolognese recipe about a million times on here but I don't think I've ever actually blogged the full on version for you!  I'm sat here now with the amazing smell of it wafting through the house so I thought today was as good as any day to share my famous (in my own head) slow cooker bolognese recipe with you all! Slow cooker bolognese2 garlic cloves, crushed or very finely chopped 1 onion, diced finely 500g minced beef 200ml red wine (or the same amount of chicken or beef stock) 2 tins of chopped tomato 4 tbsp tomato puree … [Read more...]

I feel like I haven't been in total control of our finances as much as usual for the last nine months or so with me not being very well but March seemed like a great time to put that right as I've been feeling so much better lately and both our home and car insurance were up for renewal as well as my phone contract finally coming to an end.I took a day off work last week so I could fully focus on all things budget related, gather together our bank statements and any of our insurance renewal letters and sat myself down with a copy of my free budget planner and got to work, with the help of … [Read more...]

I learned last year when Miss Frugal and I went to Cyprus that if I don't write a meal plan for Mr and Master Frugal to follow while we're away without the, then they'll eat either basic meals like beans on toast or they'll simply get a takeaway - neither of which are ideal when we're away for 5 days.That's why I've spent this morning writing an easy meal plan for them for when we're away in New York next week and seeing as I've finished it, I thought I'd share it with you and tell you a little bit about why I've chosen the meals that I have....Before I started, I took into account … [Read more...]

Our local car boot sale has started back up again after the Winter break so this morning we decided to pop along and see what bargains we could find.I'm being really strict with myself and trying very hard not to buy something just because it's a good price unless I think we can sell it on to make a bit of a profit!  We're trying to de-clutter the house and if I wasn't careful it would be so easy to undo all of the work we've done so far to get rid of things we don't need.The first thing I bought was a heavy rusty metal candle stand for 50p which was a bargain for what I had in mind … [Read more...]

For my Birthday last week Mr Frugal surprised me with a Bellabeat Leaf which is something I've been wanting for a while.  The Bellabeat Leaf is basically a pendant that tracks your sleep cycles, your activity, your breathing and your monthly cycles AND looks pretty at the same time which is always a plus. ;-)You can wear it as a bracelet, a necklace or even just clipped on to your clothes.  I tried it as a bracelet but I couldn't get the strap to sit right so it didn't feel comfortable so I've been wearing it as a necklace.  The bracelet strap that it comes with is quite small I think but … [Read more...]

While I was ill last year, our food choices definitely weren't always the best choices for us as a family and as soon as I was back on my feet earlier this year that was the first thing I wanted to get back under control.It's all too easy to slip into the 'convenience' rut where meals consist of easy components - chicken nuggets with chips and beans or mash and mixed veg became my husband's signature dish last year when he was responsible for the majority of the cooking.  And you know what?  That's an OK meal when it's balanced with other, healthier options throughout the rest of the … [Read more...]